Geronimo ~by Josue

June 16, 1829, I was born in a village called Bedonkohe; they called me "one who yawns". Even though they first called me that, I was going to be the first leader to fight against U.S. army. I had three brothers and four sisters. I was the smallest of all. My parents made me marry a girl when I was 15. Her name was Alope. After that, people started calling me be my real name Net'na, even though I had always hated my name. I liked my nickname for some reason.

In 1851, I went to town to trade. I was happy, laughing while I traded. The laugh ended when I saw some smoke coming of from my village. People were running down the hill, their faces and hands were bloody. I asked them what had happen, and they told me, "We were attacked! At least 400 big, scary Mexican soldiers attacked." Later on I found out that they were from Sonora, led by Jose Maria Carrasco.


I ran to my village as fast as I could. I fell lot's of times. When I got there, I found that my village was destroyed. The houses were burned to the ground. People were lying dead. They had been running and were shot in the back. They did not come in to fight, they came to kill. My chief, Mangas Coloradas, was dead. I was really mad.


Anger made me think thoughts of revenge. I will find them and kill them. I kept searching through the victims until I found my mom, my wife and my children. They were on the floor of our tipee, dead. I was so mad that I started crying. Tears of anger flooded my village.

I wanted revenge so badly that I joined the Chiricahua tribe. I knew they could help me get revenge. They called me Saint Jerome. We attacked the Mexicans. I only had a knife to fight off their guns. But my anger protected me like an invisible shield. I didn't care how many deadly bullets were coming at me. I kept stabbing my enemy with my knife. They used to scream, "Saint Jerome, please don't kill me." This is why the Mexicans and my tribe began calling me Geronimo. And Geronimo became my name.


Finally, the US government declared war against us. 5000 U.S. troops attacked us. The Indians that did not get killed were sent to jail. I ended up in prison. My anger had many years to cool. I learned fighting didn't bring back my family and the families that were killed that day. The years past as I sat in my cell, and finally it was February 02 1881. I was 51 years old. I joined another tribe i couldn't pronouns or write it's name there were more then 10,000 people in that tribe i married the daughter of the leader. The tribe never liked the U.S. troops I asked why didn't they fight them. "because we don't have a good leader". they said I can help you if you want to! "why would you want to help us if the chief will not trust you he'll want to stop you from killing his soldiers he has worked all his life to make this tribe" they said "trust my I have been a leader before my tribe was the one to attacked the mexican you probobly know who i am my real name in Geroimo" I said we trained for a year after we finished training we attacked the us troops at night. we defeat them at night. after that the years past till it was February 17, 1909, at age 79, I died. Soon my wish would come true...in the next world.